Spartan Basketball Recap
The Ansley-Litchfield Boys Basketball Team ended the season in Sub-District finals with a loss to Anselmo-Merna. The boys were
hundredths of a point away from qualifying for the district final with the new wildcard system but were denied. The boys' team
finished with a record of 20-5.
The team enjoyed lots of success during the season with an eleven game winning streak. The team showed significant improve-
ment throughout the season and had great leadership from the four seniors of Justin Bailey, Reid Brockmeier, Christopher Paitz,
and Ethan Samuelson. All four seniors improved their defense throughout the year, and each had different games where they
played exceptionally well. In the game against Central Valley, the team was able to overcome foul trouble and hot shooting from
Central Valley to complete a 10 point fourth quarter comeback. This win was extremely satisfying for me (Coach Drew) in that it
was my 200th win.
The win against Loup City was the game in which the team played their most complete game on defense and offense and were
able to win the game with a dominating victory. The final regular season game against Pleasanton was a defensive battle that the
team was able to outlast Pleasanton for a win. I was extremely proud of the boys' effort against Burwell in the first sub-district
game. The team could have easily overlooked Burwell, but with great defense and Christopher Paitz having a good game on
offense we were able to win handily. The final game of the season was as unlucky as the wildcard points. The Anselmo-Merna
Coyotes shot extremely well in the first half, and although we never gave up we never did regain the lead. The team did cut a
double-digit lead to 2 in the fourth quarter but, unfortunately, ran out of time.
For my first year, I am very proud of the commitment our seniors had to play top notch defense and their willingness to be
coached and not give up. They have set our future up to be very bright. It is now up to the underclassman to put the work in the
weight room and extra time in the gym. So if you see any of the players around town make sure to check in and make sure they
are lifting and shooting in order for the team to take the next step.
Thank you to the player, managers, parents, and community for their support.
Spartan Junior High Basketball Team Season Recap
Boys
The Ansley-Litchfield Spartans JH Basketball team’s season came to a close on Feb. 14th. The season was
one with lots of change with losing last year’s 8th grade class and a big 7th grade coming into this season.
The season started off rocky but by the end of the season the team was playing great basketball The boys
overall record was 2-4. The last two games were canceled due to weather. This year the team improved
their basic fundamentals and general understanding of the game of basketball. Keep on improving and we
can’t wait to see what the JH Basketball team can do next year.
Girls
The girls basketball squad was small in numbers having only 9 girls, which proved to be a challenge against
bigger teams. Limiting fouls and conditioning were keys that kept us in games. The girls overall record 0-6,
didn’t depict how much they improved and how well they played as the season progressed. There were 3
games in which the girls lost by a combined total of less than five points. Four Litchfield girls will move on to
high school next year. I appreciate their efforts and time they put forth each practice and game to improv-
ing and learning the necessary skills to become better players.